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Pecco Bagnaia will never forget his first MotoGP victory. Not only because of the milestone achieved, but because of how he has done it: resisting during the last four laps the fierce attacks of Marc Márquez, who has tried in every way but has had to give in to a Bagnaia that today was unflappable.
Great result for Márquez, who achieved his second podium of the season and was on the verge of winning. Joan Mir returns to the drawer with a third place and Fabio Quartararo has only been able to finish in eighth position, and thank you. Maverick Viñales debuts eighteenth with the Aprilia, only ahead of Valentino Rossi and Luca Marini.
Maverick Viñales debuts with the Aprilia in eighteenth position
At the exit Pecco Bagnaia kept the first position but the one who started better than anyone else was Marc Márquez, which even edged out Jack Miller and climbed to second place. Terrible weekend for Álex Márquez, who fell again in the first lap. Aleix Espargaró was fourth with Joan Mir fifth and Jorge Martín sixth. The leader, Quartararo, seventh.
Jake Dixon also went to the ground, and the track was quite delicate. Quartararo was suffering, marking the cutoff of the battle for the podium and being attacked by the KTM. Márquez looked like he wanted to pass Bagnaia, because Jack Miller was also getting on top of him and this time there was no difference in tires.
Quartararo's bleeding was reminiscent of previous seasons, losing the position not only to Iker Lecuona and Brad Binder, but also to Enea Bastianini. Between Márquez and Miller a small gap was beginning to open up that was already around the second, although the decline of the tire had not yet come.
Colada of Jack Miller, who lost the position with Mir and Espargaró. The problem was that the difference between Bagnaia and Márquez was already more than three seconds, so it seemed that the victory was a matter of two. Quartararo seemed established in the ninth position, and a separate case was that of Valentino Rossi, last.
Márquez did not finish teaching Bagnaia the wheel in any corner, which gave the impression that he was using his head much more than in previous races. Because as the tire wear took its toll, it should give Márquez more advantage, who controls the skid well.
On the podium were Mir, Espargaró and Miller off the hook, a very picturesque trio in which the Suzuki should have an advantage in terms of tire management. Quartararo was ninth but in a very dangerous trio with Enea Bastianini and Takaaki Nakagami, who had already had some rather risky overtaking.
Iker Lecuona had a small wash that made him lose several positions and allowed Quartararo to go up to the eighth. Márquez began to harass Bagnaia, already looking for the gap, although it seemed that only in the first sector could he get close enough to the Ducati to try.
Miller was definitely falling behind the podium group, so Mir and Espargaró seemed the only contenders. But the greatest tension was in the fight for the victory, since Marquez was looking for the hole. He tried three laps from the end, but it went too long and Bagnaia came back.
Marquez was constantly attacking Bagnaia, seeking to make him nervous, but constantly sneaking in. The duel was passionate until the last lap, but Márquez sneaked too much into the braking of Turn 12 and went out. Bagnaia was going to win his first MotoGP race.
Victory for Pecco Bagnaia, the first since racing in MotoGP, ahead of Marc Márquez and a Joan Mir who at least saves a podium. Fabio Quartararo has finally reached the eighth finish line, not bad for having suffered so much. Maverick Viñales finished eighteenth on his Aprilia debut, ahead of Rossi and Luca Marini.
